By February 17, 2008
This one goes out to Ardis 😉
And can I also say I’m glad these photos are intriguing people because they really are a hugely wonderful yet hugely untapped resource that only recently has become accessible (aka, not fragile glass plates in large cardboard boxes with no index).
Selection from my paper:
By February 16, 2008
As a historian I, of course, have some issues with historians. My main bugaboo this past year has been what I term “source prejudice.” We favor textual documents over visual, no doubt about it. What really gets me is that one of the main defenses for this has been that textual documents are more open and reliable, visual more obscure and relative. Well now, there are definitely interpretation issues within textual documents too; we still need to consider intention, audienc
By February 15, 2008
The Juvenile Instructor has come into a bit of luck recently in attracting solid and talented guest bloggers. That luck has not run out. We’re pleased to announce our latest guest, Heidi, known also as Pinto. Heidi received a BA in Humanities and History at BYU in 2006, and will graduate with a Masters in American Studies at Boston University this spring. I got to know Heidi this summer as part of the Joseph Smith Seminar with Richard Bushman and Terryl Givens (although we quickly discovered that she was that “Special Collections girl” [meaning she worked there] and I was “that guy with a shaved head always looking up Joseph Smith stuff” when we were undergrads at BYU). She tells me that s
By February 14, 2008
The Juvenile Instructor would like to thank BHodges for his contributions as a guest blogger the last week and a half. His insights into the Journal of Discourses produced some great discussion, and we encourage everyone interested to keep up with his exploration of the JD over at his blog, Life on Gold Plates. Please leave a comment helping us thank him for his contributions. Thanks again, BHodges.
By February 14, 2008
Guest post by BHodges.
Heber C. Kimball
June 29, 1856
Because leaders and speakers didn’t give prepared sermons or refer to notes in most cases, the discourses contain unique insight into their feelings and emotions. A good example of the differing nature of the discourses is found by contrasting a few from Heber C. Kimball.
In February of 1855 Heber recounted some experiences connected with being driven from Nauvoo, and included some fiery rhetoric:
By February 12, 2008
Guest post by BHodges.
Discourse by Brigham Young
March 16, 1856
JD 3:247-249
On March 14, 1856 Brigham Young addressed a group of Saints at the Social Hall where he told the congregation “think, brethren, think, but do not think so far that you cannot think back again.” Two days later he resumed the thought in his address at the Tabernacle, urging his listeners to develop balance:
In the eastern country there was a man who used to go crazy, at times, and then come to his senses again. One of his neighbors asked him what made him go crazy; he replied, “I get to thinking, and thinking, until finally I think so far that I am not always able to think back again.”
Can you think too much for the spirit which is put in the tabernacle?
You can, and this is a subject which I wish the brethren instructed upon, and the people to understand. The spirit is the intelligent part of man, and is intimately connected with the tabernacle. Let this intelligent part labor to excess, and it will eventually overcome the tabernacle, the equilibrium will be destroyed, and the whole organization deranged. Many people have deranged themselves by thinking too much.
Brigham was encouraging moderation in all things, including study and critical thinking.
By February 10, 2008
In the summer of 1950, a young Harvard graduate student named Thomas F. O’Dea traveled to Salt Lake City and met with a veritable who’s who of Mormon intellectuals and church leaders.
By February 8, 2008
Guest post by BHodges.
Discourse by Heber C. Kimball
June 29, 1856
JD 4:1-7
Much criticism of Joseph Smith and the LDS Church in general stems from the doctrine regarding the eternal potential of mankind. The Church believes that men and women are the “offspring” of Heavenly Parents (see Acts 17:28-29) composed of the same eternal substance (see D&C 93:33-35), and as such, have divine possibilities. However, there are many names for and many interpretations of the doctrine in and out of the Church. Describing the various schools of thought on the subject is not the purpose of this post, however.
In this discourse, President Heber C. Kimball tangentially referred to deification; not as a glorious declaration that we can become gods, or godlike, but to remind his listeners not to put the cart before the horse. We ought to consider becoming true Saints before focusing too much on being gods:
By February 6, 2008
Guest post by BHodges.
“I wish to give you one text to preach upon: ‘From this time henceforth do not fret thy gizzard'”
(Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:1).
Colloquialisms such as this kindled my interest in the Journal of Discourses, sparking a personal project to document the most interesting parts of the 26-volume work on my blog. I appreciate JI allowing me to share some of my findings here. For my introductory post, I’ll describe the purpose of my blog.
Few members of the Church of Jesus Christ have time (or perhaps even the interest) to read all 1,438 sermons given between 1854 and 1886. Additionally, I believe the JD has suffered in reputation due to some speculative ideas expressed by some early Church leaders; many of which are often quoted by critics of the Church as bona fide Mormon doctrine. The JD is largely a product of its time; a Utah Territory, a struggling and growing Church torn between exclusion and assimilation; where politics, religion, agricultural advice, homespun parables and ethics were all mixed together.
By February 5, 2008
If you’re reading a religious history blog–which you obviously are–you’ve probably heard of the hollow earth theory[1]–but have you heard of the hollow sun theory?
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